Art Galleries

Between Sept. and May, the college hosts art exhibitions in a variety of media and styles by students and regional and nationally celebrated visual artists. Exhibitions are held in three locations at the Washington Road campus:

Phil Grout began to hone his craft as a photographer in 1966, working as a photojournalist covering naval operations in Vietnam. He quickly discovered it wasn’t the images of war he was seeking, but more the face of humanity as he roamed the back alleys of Saigon, Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines.

With pictures and words he became a gatherer of the threads, which bind us together as human beings. As the images in this exhibit attest, he approaches his subjects with compassion and clarity of purpose, bringing heart and essence to the surface.

Some of the images are experimental artful manipulations and monoprints. Others are examples of the photojournalist’s craft at its finest; poignant, clean and free of adornment or apology.

For the last 44 years he has worked for newspapers, magazines, wire services and book publishers in the Americas, Africa, India and Asia. He is the author of three book-length photo essays. His work has been awarded by the Associated Press as well as various arts organizations. It has also been featured in art galleries throughout the United States.

Most recently, Grout has freelanced his photography to newspapers and magazines in the central Maryland region and continues to win awards from the Maryland, Delaware, and District of Columbia Press Association for his photojournalism.

Some of us have worked together for 20 years, teaching, making art and sharing our lives. With my retirement close at hand, it is both joyful and bittersweet to present my last faculty exhibit with this amazing group of artist/teacher/friends.

Twenty exhibitors make for an abundant and energetic production, diverse in medium, style and theme, large and small. It’s a veritable art extravaganza!

As we gather for this final time, I feel deep gratitude for the unfailing dedication and loyalty of so many of these folks to “right livelihood.” That is, the important work of educating the world one student at a time, term after term, year in and year out, not only Carroll but at high schools, colleges and universities nation-wide.

Making art is something we feel compelled to do, a driving force, a thing without which there is a life not fully lived. It is my privilege to assemble and curate this work in honor of my artist friends without whom my career journey might have been far less fulfilling and my life not nearly as blessed.
- Maggie Ball, curator

It is fitting that this is the final exhibit I am curating prior to retiring from Carroll. Having cared for this collection, graciously donated to Carroll by Hiram and Avonelle Williams in 1998, I have also cared for the memory of the artist and, most personally, for my memory of the artist.

Brief visits to Florida spent talking and laughing about life and art were rare opportunities to glimpse into the nature of the man behind the art, at 86, his blue eyes crinkling with a wry joke, an astute observation, or a memory of times past in academia. Short as it was, the gift of Williams acquaintance and that of his devoted wife, Avie, is a treasure I possess in the way that one wraps and ties a precious memento for safe keeping. It is the single most fulfilling event of my curatorial career.

Now, on the twelfth anniversary of his passing, I mount this exhibit as a tribute to his work, indomitable spirit and the intelligence and passion of a life lived fully. This was his gift to me, the directive to find meaning through healthy engagement with the natural world and daily appreciation of all of life, both its beauty and travail.

For those who never understood his work because of its abstraction, I implore you to look again to see that you are the audience about which he painted, full of complexity, joy, darkness and brilliance. He was ever hopeful:

“Please look at the work! My hope is that there will be rewards as my imagery touches upon the human condition. There is considerable joy in recognizing our fate, the absurdity of life and how we, as audience, seek to create meaning in a hopeless situation. It takes courage to do this. Be kind to other members of audience, after all, you are one of them!”

It is my heartfelt wish that Williams work continues to be protected, displayed and appreciated for generations of art lovers, students and audiences to come.
~Maggie Ball, associate professor of Art and curator of collections

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